Chocolate and Tequila
by Butter is Life
Summary: Chocolate cake and tequila with his favorite blond. Could Bart ask for a better birthday? He didn't think so until recently.


Chloe stood in her kitchen brow furrowed and lower lip tucked firmly between her teeth. This was not the type of trouble she was used to. She could face global domination complexes, espionage, and even certain death without blinking an eye; a cookbook and ingredients on the other hand, well, let's just say she wouldn't mind a little impending doom just about now.

Baking, she was good at, cooking not so much; hence why she was currently staring at burnt enchiladas and a chocolate mud cake that could pass gourmet standards. Bart was going to have a ball saying, 'I told you so.' For the fourth year in a row she'd burnt his birthday dinner. At least she could take solace in this being part of their quasi-tradition.

For his twenty-first birthday the guys had been stationed around the world on various individual missions, so Chloe had called him to Metropolis to celebrate where she made him a crispy meatloaf and had more successfully taken him out for his first legal drink. They'd both gotten plastered and had to call a cab to take them back to Chloe's. The next morning shortly after waking up on Chloe's couch Bart declared it the best birthday of his life, "even if I can't remember all of it, have a crick in my neck, and am pretty sure we sang some embarrassing karaoke."

"Oh my God," Chloe had groaned hiding her face in her hands.

Two hours later the security footage of their rendition of 'Dancing Queen' had been obtained and destroyed. They'd spent all of his birthdays since similarly; minus the karaoke and occasionally adding a team member or two.

"What did you scorch for me this year Beautiful?" Bart's voice called out as he made his way into Watchtower's kitchen.

"Enchiladas," she sighed in defeat.

"Aw that's sweet of you. You know Mexican is my favorite," he smiled coming into the kitchen. "Look at that they're even recognizable," he laughed looking over her shoulder.

"Hey!" she protested hitting his arm lightly with the spatula in her hand which only made him laugh harder. "You're lucky it's your birthday."

"I'm lucky anytime I get to spend time with you 'licious," he smiled cheekily. Rolling her eyes she made her way to the drawer full of takeout menus, "So I'm forgiven right?" He asked picking up one of the enchiladas and taking a bite.

"Oh spare me," she groaned, "as if you were ever in trouble to begin with. So what do you want for dinner?"

"Cake same as every year of course. These aren't that bad," he said taking a second bite.

"Sure," she laughed taking a knife and two forks from another drawer and moving the cake to the kitchen counter. "Plates?"

"Naw, they just get in the way."

"Milk?" she asked opening the fridge.

He gave her a wide-eyed expression in response.

"Under the sink," she sighed closing the fridge.

She sat at the counter, fork in hand, waiting for Bart to emerge from under the sink where half his body was currently wedged as he dug through the contents under there.

"Aha!" he exclaimed rising with a bottle of Patrón in his hand looking like the newest Lottery winner.

After retrieving two shot glasses, he made his way toward an amused Chloe.

"Happy Birthday Bart," she grinned pulling a candle from her pocket and placing it on the cake.

"Do we plan on lighting that?" he asked humorously.

"I can't find the matches," she pouted but couldn't keep the grin off her face long enough to quite pull it off.

"Just one second," he called over his shoulder gone before she could protest. Breezing back to her side he handed over a box of matches.

"Did you pay for these?" she asked placing a hand on her hip.

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to," he replied tapping her lightly on the nose and taking a seat on one of the stools.

"Bart," she griped in reprimanding tone, but took a seat and lit the candle.

"It's my party and I'll shoplift if I want to," he sang. Chloe had to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing but not even that kept her entertained look at bay.

"Just blow out your candle, and make a wish," she demanded shortly but her radiant smile gave away her less than exasperated state.

"What no birthday song?" he sulked.

"Fine," she huffed. After a slightly off key but endearing round of 'Happy Birthday to You' Bart blew out his candle. "What did you wish for?" she asked.

"Can't tell ya," he smiled picking up his fork and making to start his attack on the cake.

"No!" she yelled stopping him by grabbing his wrist right before his fork hit the cake. "You have to cut your cake first. It's good luck."

"Where do you get this stuff," he laughed but replaced his fork with the knife nonetheless. "Happy?" he asked as the knife sunk into the cake.

Chloe nodded vigorously in response and poured them each a shot of tequila.

"Happy Birthday," she said raising her glass and they each threw back the shot.

An entire cake and half a bottle of Patrón later they moved from the kitchen into the living room.

"Oh God," Bart wheezed plopping onto the couch, "I'm stuffed."

"I can't believe we finished the whole thing," Chloe whined collapsing next to him.

"For the first time in my life I'm incapable of moving."

"I don't believe that," she challenged rolling her head on the back of the couch to look at him.

"It's true," he insisted.

"So no bar tonight?" she questioned skeptically.

"Nope, I'd rather spend some alone time with my number one _señorita anyway_," he smirked.

"Whatever," she muttered pushing herself up off the couch and back to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Bart took the opportunity to lie across the couch.

She had just finished scraping the last of the burnt cheese from the enchilada pan when she heard the first notes of 'Tequila Sunrise' by the Eagles queue up from her MP3 dock in the living room.

"Bart?" she called poking her head out from the kitchen. Her peels of laughter could probably be heard down the block as she watched Bart sway around the living room.

"Come on Chloe, dance with me!" he pleaded excitedly. "It's my birthday!"

"No," she answered between her squeals.

Before she could realize he'd even moved he was at her side pulling her to the impromptu dance floor where he had pushed the coffee table to the corner of the room. Gathering her in his arms he swayed her back and forth not quite following the beat of the song. They went on for a few songs and every time Chlo tried to make her escape Bart would sweep her up in a ridiculously exaggerated twirl causing her to start laughing and dancing all over again.

"I had forgotten all about this playlist," she said as Foreigner's 'Hot Blooded' blared through the speakers. "It's from high school."

"This is a good song," he noted spinning her under his arm and quickly pulling her back into his chest. She dizzily leaned on him for a second so one arm wrapped around his back the other on rested on his shoulder. The firm weight of his arm around her own shoulder combined with the tequila rushing through her system was making her light headed.

Bart chuckled at her flushed face looking down at her for a beat before she met his gaze. A look he didn't recognize crossed her face, and before he had a chance to contemplate it she had closed the gap between them. Her lips pressed softly to his for a few seconds and he stood frozen in shock.

"Chloe?" he squawked as she pulled away.

"I'm sorry," she blushed taking a step back, "I shouldn't have done that we're ju-" and then he was kissing her.

His lips slanted hotly over hers and his arms encircled her waist pulling her flush to his body. And while he wasn't bulky like his teammates, she could feel the long lean muscle of his biceps where her arms ran up to tangle in his hair and his solid chest pressed into hers. Without her knowledge he had backed her against the wall trapping her between the cool plaster and his warmth.

His tongue ran across her lower lip and she thanked God for the support of the wall behind her as her knees quaked. He moaned pushing her further into the wall as her hands fisted in his hair pulling, demanding in the same moment her tongue swiped against his.

A twinge of pleasurable pain sent sparks down her spine to her core when he bit her lip and she gasped in response. Bart's tongue entered her mouth brushing against its ticklish roof. His nails scraped her back when she bit his tongue lightly in retaliation.

An alarm sounded from Chloe's computers and they jumped apart.

"You have got to be kidding me," Bart glared at the flashing light above her monitor.

Chloe walked across the room feigning composure and checking what had tripped her system.

"There's a burglary being attempted at the downtown bank," she informed him in full Watchtower mode.

For a second he just stared causing her to lift an eyebrow at him.

"I'm on it," he said slowly coming down to Earth.

"Hey Impulse," Watchtower stopped him at the door.

"Yeah?"

"Happy Birthday."

"Best birthday of my life," he smiled and was gone before she could blink.


End file.
